[LF Co-GM] [EST] Looking for Partner GM for RP-heavy, immersive campaign and worldbuilding! [LGBT-friendly]

Hi, there, Roll20! I'm currently looking for someone to partner with to DM a campaign with me, and help me create and flesh out the world where the campaign will be set. The reason for this is simple : I think it'll be much more fun this way. Having someone with whom to share the creative spotlight sounds like it could create opportunities to make the experience more organic. I have a great group of people for players, though of course you can bring your relations in as well if you want. About the game I want to run: Setting – Homebrew. I have some ideas about how it looks like, but I was thinking something close to 800-1200 d.C. – nascent societies and civilizations. System – Undecided, might try a new system. Tone – Low fantasy, low magic. Not necessarily grimdark, but gritty realism is where I'm looking at. If there are supernatural elements, I'd like them to unfold later in the storyline and focus more on human drama first. What your role would be – Exactly the same as mine. We'd voice NPCs, plot the course for the adventure, improv, build the world, etc. If there's anything you like to do more/less, we can assign duties, but the idea is that we are equals, baseline. When would the game be played – I'm thinking Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday nights, EST, weekly. Playstyle – The game will be run on Roll20 with Discord for voice chat. Just for the record, I try to make this game an inclusive, safe space. That doesn't mean I pull punches or wash out drama or violence, it means I respect the other players and provide an experience everyone can enjoy and feel comfortable in. To apply, please PM answering the following questions! Thank you for reading! Sorry for the essay application, but I feel that the secret for a lasting online group is having people who click and connect. Introduce yourself freely! What's your experience GMing? On what systems? Would you be willing to learn a new system to GM this game? Why do you want to apply to GM this game with me? What's your favorite thing about GMing? What's the thing you like to do the least as a GM? What are some of the things you hate when player's do? What are some of your popular media (be it TV, folklore, books, etc.) inspirations when DMing, either for crafting a story, leading a group or creating drama? What's one of your favorite non-fantasy, non-adventure books/films/TV shows? Tell me something about it that you like! What's one character from popular media you love, and why? What's one character from popular media whose arc/characterization made you feel unsatisfied? Why? Thanks again! Hope to get your reply soon!

As your co-GM, it's only fair if I reply to the questionnaire myself so you know me too! Introduce yourself freely! Name is Eid, internet denizen extraordinaire. What's your experience GMing? On what systems? I have DM'd for D&D 3.5e, 5e, Pathfinder and Starfinder campaigns. Why do you want to apply to GM this game with me? The reason I want to make this game a thing is that I have this story inside me I want to flesh out. It's about strife, hope and the building and destructions of communities. I have a blurry storyline and some elements I want to come into play, but I really enjoy being able to create a setting in which traditional tropes become challenged and deconstructed. Are you willing to learn a new system for this game? As a matter of fact I am! I have been looking for systems that could accommodate some of my ideas, and I'm interested in Zweihander at the moment. What's your favorite thing about GMing? It's gotta be the worldbuilding. I really enjoy creating myths, cultures, values, etc. I love improv though, and riffing with my players is always something I love. What's the thing you like to do the least as a GM? I find it hard to steer the party when they get aimless and lost. I try to seed clues and opportunities, but when I lose track of their motivation, it always feels hamfisted when I change the direction of the story afterwards. What are some of the things you hate when player's do? Setting-deafness is probably it. I like making a space for a character in my worlds, but I expect a tit-for-tat and for the character to try to adapt to developments as well. What are some of your popular media (be it TV, folklore, books, etc.) inspirations when DMing, either for crafting a story, leading a group or creating drama? I always go back to LA Confidential, the movie (rather than the book. I love the pacing, the worldbuilding, the introduction of characters, their interplay, their motivations, and the completion of their arcs. I try, as a GM, to make my characters feel as they too have a role to play, even if it's smaller or larger, but the final objective is the completion of their arc, not of the story. What's one of your favorite non-fantasy, non-adventure books/films/TV shows? Tell me something about it that you like! I'm a huge nerd for Kurt Vonnegut. I love how his humanism, not in spite of the monstrosities committed by mankind, but in the face of them. I love his humor, dryness and simplicity. What's one character from popular media you love, and why? One that comes to mind is the shopkeep on Midnight Diner, a new TV show from Japan. What I love about this character is that, unlike other "sage bartender" types, he doesn't offer advice. Instead, he reveals his own vulnerabilities and, perhaps, that should grant insight to his publicans. I feel it's a very fun way to develop an otherwise quiet, solemn character. What's one character from popular media whose arc/characterization made you feel unsatisfied? Why? I feel a lot of characters in Game of Thrones haven't been done justice, but one particularly egregious example to me is Daenerys. I feel like she is given little room to grow, and, instead, is left searching for instruments to advance her goals, rather than fulfil an arc. She reminds me in many ways to old pulp action heroes that went on adventures with a specific toolset, but left that adventure unscathed as a character.

Have you looked into games that don't employ a traditional GM-authority structure? D&D and its spinoffs function with players announcing only their intent and voicing what their characters say while the GM handles *everything* else, but not all games have this convention. Loosening the GM's grip on narrative authority is like making all your players mini-GMs. Apocalypse World puts world building on the players during character creation. A lot of indie games, like InSpectres for example, give a ton of narration authority to the players, putting them in charge of everything that happens on a successful roll and giving them tools for introducing details about the world.